1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to insulators and semiconductors, and more particularly to an apparatus and a process for processing of insulator materials and semiconductor materials including the automated processing of the aforesaid materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
The method of processing insulator materials and semiconductor materials in situ by laser synthesis is disclosed in a various patents of Nathaniel R. Quick. The laser synthesis process involves subjecting an insulator material or a semiconductor material to a laser beam in the presence of a specialized atmosphere. The laser synthesis process is able to form conducting electrodes, P-type semiconductors, N-type semiconductors, P-N junctions, P-N-P junction, N-P-N junctions, Schottky diodes, photovoltaic devices, light emitting devices and the like.
The following US patents a representative of the laser synthesis process developed by Nathaniel R. quick et al the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,609 issued Feb. 15, 2000 to Quick et al entitled Laser Synthesized Ceramic. Electronic Devices and Circuits and Method for Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,375 issued Apr. 25, 2000 to Quick et al entitled Method for Making Laser Synthesized Ceramic Electronic Devices and Circuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,576 issued Aug. 7, 2001 to Quick et al entitled Laser Synthesized Ceramic Sensors and Method for Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,693 issued Dec. 30, 2003 to Quick et al entitled Laser Synthesized Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Electronic Devices and Circuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,748 issued Sep. 6, 2005 to Quick, et al entitled Nano Size Semiconductor Components & Method of Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,009 issued Aug. 16, 2005 to Quick et al entitled Laser Synthesized Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Electronic Devices and Circuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,618,880 issued Nov. 17, 2009 to Quick et al entitled Apparatus & Method for Transforming Substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,268,063 issued Sep. 11, 2007 to Quick et al entitled Process for Fabricating Semiconductor Component.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,887 issued Sep. 2, 2008 to Quick et al entitled Laser Assisted Nano Deposition.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,951,632 issued May 31, 2011 to Quick et al entitled Optical Device and Method of Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,811,914 issued Oct. 12, 2010 to Quick et al entitled Apparatus and Method for Increasing Thermal Conductivity of a Substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,897,492 issued Mar. 1, 2011 to Quick et al entitled Apparatus & Method for Transforming Substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,951,632 issued May 31, 2011 to Quick et al entitled Optical Device and Method of Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,067,304 issued Nov. 29, 2011 to Quick et al entitled Solid State Light Emitting Device and Method of Making.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,080,836 issued Dec. 20, 2011 to Quick et at entitled Process for Fabricating Semiconductor Component.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,114,693 issued Feb. 14, 2012 to Quick et al entitled Method of Fabricating Solid State Gas Dissociating Device by Laser Doping.
Others in the prior art have used pulsed energy from a directed, high density infrared plasma arc lamp for quickly delivering large amounts of heat over large surface areas with little or no deleterious influence upon subsurface compositions. Pulses of infrared energy from the high density infrared plasma arc lamp can supply large power densities over large areas in short time frames in a controlled manner.
The following U.S. Patents are representative of the use of directed, high density infrared plasma are lamps for heating various types of materials the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,490 issued on Jun. 26, 1990 to Camm, et al. entitled High intensity Radiation Apparatus And Fluid Recirculating System Therefore.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,388 issued on Jan. 16, 2001 to Sikka, et al. entitled Rapid Infrared Heating Of A Surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,826 issued on Dec. 16, 2003 to Blue, et al, entitled Method of High Density Foil Fabrication.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20010036219 published on Nov. 1, 2001 to Camm, et al. Pulse Thermal Processing Of Functional Materials Using Directed Plasma Arc.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20020067918 published on Jun. 6, 2002 to Camm, et al. Pulse Thermal Processing Of Functional Materials Using Directed Plasma Arc.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20020102098 published on Aug. 1, 2002 to Camm, et al. Pulse Thermal Processing Of Functional Materials Using Directed Plasma Arc.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030206732 published on Nov. 6, 2003 to Camm, et al Pulse Thermal Processing Of Functional Materials Using Directed Plasma Arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,936 issued on May 22, 2007 to Ott et al. entitled Pulse Thermal Processing Of Functional Materials using Directed Plasma Arc.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a process for processing of insulating materials and semiconductor materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a process for processing of insulating materials and semiconductor materials incorporating laser processing and/or pulse plasma lamp processing of the insulating and semiconductor materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a process for processing of insulating materials and semiconductor materials wherein the aforesaid materials are processed within a processing container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a process for processing of insulating materials and semiconductor materials incorporating the automated system for processing of the aforesaid materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a process for processing of insulating materials and semiconductor materials incorporating the automated system incorporating both large area and select narrow area processing.
Another objective of the invention is to tune pulsed thermal processing to comparable laser processing parameters particularly spanning the emission of 1064 nm, 532 nm and 355 nm wavelengths and pulse durations approaching microseconds or less.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.